Contemporary Earth Architecture and its Appropriateness in the

Present Scenario; Case of East Africa

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
KITHETU KELVIN MUTEMI
B02/0617/2018

“Earthen architecture is one of the most original and powerful expressions of our ability to create a built
environment with readily available resources” World Heritage Programme on Earthen Architecture (WHEAP)
Soil as a building material is utilized in sun-dried mud brick (adobe) structures, rammed-earth walls, wattle
and daub buildings, and in a variety of other construction techniques that vary from culture to culture and
region to region. According to the United Nations, an estimated 30 percent of the world’s population lives
in houses made of earth, and earth remains a prevalent building material in many parts of Africa, Asia, and
Central and South America.

In this paper, I will explore contemporary earthen architecture in East Africa in the following order:
i) Soil types in the region
ii) Mud, its properties and types
iii) Various techniques involved in earth architecture in the region
iv) Elements of architecture achieved using earth in the region
v) Analyse the contemporary architecture and its production
vi) Case studies
vii) Review its appropriateness
viii) The future of mud architecture.